Connecticut western news., 1887-10-05
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
Some Points and Incidents Re-
 garding the Trade in Them.
How Crippled Veterans of the
 War are Supplied.

war are 0uppll0Q.
 "I wouldn't exactly say," remarked New York manufacturer to a Sun re- porter, ''that people can get along as we'll with artificial limbs as they can with artificial teeth, but the art or industry is fast approac ing that stage of perfection. Men and women can eat and drink, play the violin, write, and do various kinds of light work with artificial arms and hands, and they can dance, skate, and run with artificial legs.
 ''Thc proportion of those whose mis- fortunes require the use of artificial limbs is about ono in 1a,0OO of the population. Of these, from twenty five to thirty per cent. are women Of the limbs lost, the legs are in the large majority-about seventy-five per cent.
 "A great many are under the impress sion that tho war made most of the crip- pies now living. The fact is that for one person who lost limb in the war, twenty to twcnty-four lost theirs through some accident on the railways, or in some other manner entire.y disconnected from warfare. The railroad is the great source of our business, probably one half tho cases that come to us beng at tributed to railway accidents.
 q suppose" said the reporter, ''that you meet with some queer incidents in tho course of your business?'
 "Ycs, I remember customer coming to mo not long ago for his second arti- ticial leg. He had worn the first for a number of years. He said that he was in much trouble of miud. He was going to get married, and had been counting his intended for year and half, and she did not know but that he was en- tirely sound. The question in his mind was whether to tell her beforc or wait until aftor marriage. I advised him to inform her beforehand, as otherwise she might have legal ground to apply for an annulmcnt of the marriage on the ground |. VI VCCCptlou. AC Io1Q lAo dAteI"aio that he followed my advice, and the lady concluded that she loved him none tho less on account of his misfortune Another singular incident, but of diff | ferent character, was in connection with the collision of two steamers, one of which had just started from this port for Europe, and had to put back again on account of the damage. None of the passengers were injured by the accident, and a friend jokingly remarked in my presence that I would, no doubt, be greatly disappointed that there was no Joss of limb as I would therefore get no revenue from the occurrence. Strangely enough, the day following, man from Ohio walked into my office and said that he wanted m artificial leg. He related that he had been passenger on the steamer which had to put back on ac- count of the, collision, having started from his home in Ohio to pay visit to Europe. When the vessel returned to port he concluded, on reflection, to give up his European trip and to cxpend the money he had reserved on the trip in providing himself with new artificial leg in place of the one which he then wore. So it seems that the collision of those two steamers brought business after all
 "Who supply limbs for the soldiers?"
 "Thc business is distributed among different manufacturers, nearly, if not all in the large cities of the Atlantic coast. No Union soldier who has lost a limb in the war need be without an ar- tificial one. Northern manufacturers also supply good many artificial limbs to confederate veterans, on the orders of States of the South, that have made pro- vision for the maimed of the Lost Cause but great many of the Southern veter- aus are unprovided, for the reasons that the appropriations for their relief are not sufficiently frequent and adequate"
 ''Of private cases, do the greater num- Der come from the city or country2"
 "I think the dangers of city and country life are about even, so far as the artificial limb trade is an indicator. The moving machine is fair set-off to the horse cars."